Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.

I found that Lesley’s Artist Success FeatureArticle below explains a lot 🙂

I am not a drug-dealer, but I want you to get high. For real! I highly (pun intended) recommend that you turn on to the natural high that comes from making art. In 1972, brain researchers from Johns Hopkins University made a puzzling discovery. They found that the human brain’s neurons had specific receptor sites for opiate drugs: opium, heroin, codeine and morphine. I’m sure they were trying to understand the appeal and addiction of illegal and illicit drugs, but, thankfully, this finding led them to explore further. Why would nature give our brains a receptor for plant opiates?

They soon figured out that the active ingredient in all these opiates – morphine – had a chemical structure very similar to endorphins, a class of chemicals present in the brain. Endorphins are the natural opiates of the body and we have the opportunity to “get high” any time we want. It’s legal and, even better, it’s good for us. Athletes and runners have been aware of this for a while. You’ve heard of the runner’s high. Well, there is also an artist’s high.

I know you have experienced it. Recall how good you feel while taking a class or how the time just flies when you’re painting, choosing fabric for your next quilt or putting the patina on your mixed media altered book page. Perhaps that feeling comes when you’re working in your garden, redecorating a room or, better yet, teaching your granddaughter to sew.

Creating (and creating the flow of endorphins) is not always about making art. You can create a moment, a memory or an experience. The endorphins will flow when you are fully present in whatever you choose to do and when you choose to be aware of the joy you are creating.

Do you ever feel a letdown when you complete the project you were working on? That’s because you are coming down from your high. Are you tense and crabby when you can’t (or won’t) take the time to get in the studio? Lack of endorphins. How about that tightness in your neck, the empty feeling in your heart, the dull headache that just lingers? Lack of endorphins.

Endorphins are also naturally triggered in response to pain or stress but in today’s world, we often need a higher dose than our bodies produce. Many people choose or are advised to use other means of relieving pain and stress. Increasing the production of natural endorphins can help reduce or eliminate the needed level of prescription drugs. We are just now beginning to understand the effects of creativity and happiness on our overall health.

What You Can Do Now

To help me prove my point, I’m going to ask you to get high. It’s easy and, better yet, healthy and FUN. Here’s what you need to do:

Set aside a dedicated, uninterrupted time for the experiment. I recommend at least an hour. Set an alarm if you need to finish at a specific time.

Choose a creative activity that you enjoy.

Prepare in advance by locating and assembling everything you will need for this activity.

Put on comfortable clothes & music if you like.

Create. Create with abandon. Create towards a simple goal or for no reason at all. Just create.

Be intentionally present in what you are doing. Don’t watch the clock or worry about time. Your alarm will signal if you have set it.

Bask in the endorphin flow.

Rx – Use daily or as often as needed. There is no danger of overdose.

Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

I have been a big fan of Lesley’s since I took a fabric board book class (two of my pages above) from her back in 2003 and a transfer class a couple of years later at the Rubber Chicken…enjoying every minute of time spent with her …

Lesley is an excellent teacher and generously shares her passion for creating…

I used TAP for a favorite Swan image and transferred it onto sheer White Unryu paper with gold/silver flecks which I liked very much…

I transferred the rubber stamped and colored hand onto some vintage sheer fabric…because the fabric was so thin it made a second image on the piece of cardstock I placed behind the sheer fabric to protect my work surface … double transfers!

another favorite artist of mine…theresa mARTin has a beautiful piece called “Grace” in the book…

what an honor to be included amongst so many talented artists…

many thanks to Lesley for this brilliant opportunity…

heartfelt thanks to each of you for supporting me along my creative journey…you know who you are

***as soon as my second copy of the book arrives I will be having a little giveaway***

the last round is already here in our Queen Bees stitchery round robin (RR) … Nathalie’s playful stitchery arrived from Carole in New Zealand and looked pretty much complete … leaving me wondering what in the world I might add …

after a little while … I did find a few places for a bit of this and that … here is a peek until our reveal sometime in the next month or so when all of the stitcheries are back where they began their journey’s around the world

* * *

I also wanted to mention another really interesting interview by Lesley Riley on Art and Soul Radio with Stephanie Lee … it is inspiring and reveals a lot of what women artists experience trying to balance family and creating art … well worth the listen!

our sweet niece is getting married in October … her sweetheart’s family is making a wedding quilt with squares created by various family members …the future bride and groom picked these cotton fabrics to work with

I was so excited about being a part of this … but must admit sewing a straight line is not my strong suit (no laughing!) … lucky for me a talented and super nice friend came to the rescue and sewed the fabric pieces around my photo transfer and got me ready for the stitching … if you haven’t tried Lesley Riley’s Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) I highly recommend giving it a whirl … it transfers so quickly and effortlessly you can hardly believe your eyes!

it is washable and can be ironed too … so versatile

the photo was taken on the beach (it may have been their engagement photo) … it was altered in photoshop by the photographer … I knew it would make a perfect focal point for our quilt square

all I had to do was a little blanket stitching and embroider our names in the lower right hand corner … as requested … it has already arrived in California … can’t wait to see the finished quilt!

*lavender filled heart photographed on a cigar box with the mother of all golden ‘flimmers’ … collected long before I knew about the chocolate ones*

you know who you are

*blue cotton velvet from dear Jean … last tiny lavender bud harvest and a way to use my wee wire birdsnest*

you continue to touch my heart so sweetly

*recycled rose fabric and a vintage button on my 25 cent thrift shop plaster hand … the hot pink sticker glowing to the right … the white fur in the background was a surprise gift from our youngest son when he returned from boy scout camp one year*

Bless You One and All

*great “crackle” fabric from Lesley Riley’s clean out sale last year and a wooden hand charm*

lavender is soothing … I spent the evening stitching hearts with lavender buds tucked inside … all of us have hearts that need mending sometime or another … wish you could smell these and that I could stitch enough to send to each and every one of you

oxo

“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses” ~ Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism

It was my very good fortune to read Lesley Riley’s notice about downsizing her fabric stash a few days ago. I did not think twice and fired away my request in hopes that I would be one of the lucky ones to purchase a box of fabric pieces.

Back in 2003 (five years ago already!!!!), my quilting friend, Pat Sloan and I took an altered book class taught by Lesley Riley at the Arlington Arts Center. The class was amazing with so many ingredients and a wonderful creative atmosphere. I am still very happy with the book I created. See my next post for some photos.

In this box of delights, I came upon this quote….”There is BEAUTY in IMPERFECTION”.

It was pinned face down and printed on a piece of glowing orange silk…..what a treasure!

If you know Lesley’s artwork, quotes are a big inspiration for her amazing fragment pieces.

I just happen to be a quote hound myself.

Thank you Lesley for cleaning out! I am all atwitter with the possibilities waiting for me in this box!

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Lesley Riley’s altered board book class was total inspiration. She created a space for creativity and shared freely. I felt so lucky to take one of her classes. I cannot believe I made this back in 2003!

We had amazing fabrics and printed quotes to choose from.

I did add the domino and finish my cover at home, but I created so many pages in the class, I amazed myself.

Stop and Wonder…..a delicate hankie made a perfect pocket.

Combining paper, fabric and fibers was just so much fun!

A little of this and some of that…. I do use fabric in projects, but I would like to do a mostly fabric book again.

I found this quote by Erma Bombeck which was a bit of a surprise, since she was mostly known for her humor.

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Love Quote

"the 'L' in Love should be capitalized" ~♥~Patty Szymkowicz .....
Virginia, USA

*Copyright = A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO PLAY NICE*

I try to give credit where credit is due. Please do not use any images or text from my Magpie's Nest Blog without my permission.
I do not mind being pinned on Pinterest if you link back to the item on my blog. Thank you

~*~ Patty

you can contact me at:
PatriziaSzymkowicz (at) gmail.com

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